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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948425">The Purrfect Christmouse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/epcot97/pseuds/epcot97'>epcot97</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug One Shots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:34:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948425</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/epcot97/pseuds/epcot97</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Christmas holiday nears, Multimouse decides to take a quiet spin around Paris in an effort to inspire her alter-ego with gift ideas for her boyfriend; unfortunately for her, said boyfriend happens to also be on the prowl that same evening…</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chat Noir | Multimouse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug One Shots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Miraculous Writer's Guild December Event</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Purrfect Christmouse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Landing on a rooftop close to the Arc de Triomphe, I paused to take in the traffic slowly moving about the massive circle just below me; it was a dark and overcast night, making the taillights seem all the more bright and, perhaps, just a bit festive.  The crispness in the air reminded me winter was upon Paris, though chances for a snowy holiday seemed rather grim.  Perched there, overlooking the people I protected night after night, I wondered how many of them were in their final throes of locating that special something for that special some<em>one</em>.  Hawkmoth had kept Chat Noir and I busy enough that I’d been dismayed to discover that morning I was another day closer to Christmas and no further ahead in my search for a gift that would represent just how important a part of my life the black cat had become.</p><p>Smiling, I reached up and retied one of the ribbons to a mouse ear-shaped bun, knowing that finding me out there as Multimouse could well qualify.   It was a calculated risk, for I was well aware how regularly Chat prowled the Parisian night; his ubiquitous visits to my apartment alone made me wonder if he <em>ever</em> de-transformed.  My smile widened even more at the thought of him alighting on my flowerbox as he was wont to do, wild mane cocked sideways with that patented sly look in his eyes.  It had become my policy since inheriting the Miracle Box from Master Fu all those years earlier to spend a little time with each of the kwami in my care.  Aside from the handful I used regularly, the vast majority never saw action – thankfully – though it didn’t stop me worrying endlessly about the small gods feeling marginalized.  Tikki had been quite clear that would never be the case, but I’d nonetheless made a point of taking a night or two each month to dote on one of the lesser-used Miraculous Jewels.</p><p>Running across my partner during one of my outings wouldn’t normally be an issue, but Mullo happened to have been the next kwami in the rotation that December.   Despite my noble intentions, I’d actually been putting off using the Mouse Miraculous, for years earlier I had intentionally outed myself as its holder to Chat.  It had been a necessary maneuver to both protect my true identity as Ladybug and allow me to underscore how important it was to keep our secrets.  I’d held fast to my rule that once a holder was blown, they’d never be granted access to a Jewel again, but Chat had sensed an opportunity once I’d assumed the Guardianship and had been lobbying exceptionally hard to grant Marinette an exception. </p><p>I shook my head to clear the slight headache that always formed when I came up against the duality of being both Ladybug, Hero of Paris, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the now <em>very</em> public girlfriend of Chat Noir as a result of a viral snapshot Alya had snagged of my canoodling with said feline superhero atop the Eiffel Tower a few weeks earlier.  My inner Ladybug had cringed when social media had lit up with the rather appropriate Marichat hashtag, and I’d endured a great deal of ribbing from my friends and colleagues at the office, but to be honest, the childish glee it had brought to Chat had deflated my initial intent to extract revenge on my best friend.  The way his paws were wrapped around my heart, it was hard to be angry at him for possibly putting us both into danger, especially since I was just as much to blame as he was for growing careless in keeping our relationship hidden from the world.</p><p>It was hard not to smile warmly each time I thought of my kitty.  So I decided that if he happened to find me that evening, out and about as a mouse, I’d simply tell him Ladybug had granted his wish.</p><p>Sniffing the wind, I thought about how strangely different the enhanced senses were with each of the Miraculous I had used.  Mullo provided me with an acute sense of smell, superior hearing, and a bit of night vision, though probably not as good as Chat’s.  While I could certainly leap farther than as Ladybug, the jump rope worked more-or-less about the same as my yo-yo.  Twirling one end of it in my gloved hand, I considered where to head off to next, intent on continuing to fine-tune my abilities as Multimouse.  Slinging the rope out, I caught a lamppost and pulled myself into the dark night, looping around twice before throwing myself high into the sky.  Tucking myself into a ball, I spun for a moment before coming out just in time to land at a run on the next rooftop.</p><p>Shifting myself into automatic, I made my way circuitously back toward my apartment, pausing here and there to take in the sparkling lights of the city at night or to simply enjoy the freedom of exploring without worrying about dealing with Hawkmoth.  By the time I landed on the small balcony of my apartment, the chill of the evening had become quite pronounced, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a hint of frost was in the air.  Sniffing again, my nose wrinkled in surprise: there, on the crisp breeze, was a familiar scent, one that would under normal circumstances send a mouse such as myself into a panicked frenzy.</p><p>Judging from how strong it was, I knew there was no point in detransforming.</p><p>“Hey, Chat,” I smiled as I turned to watch a slightly darker patch of the night detach itself from the shadows and land on my planter. </p><p>His slightly glowing green eyes were narrowed.  “Princess…” he started.  “This is an unexpected pawlesure.”</p><p>I moved over to where he was perched, my rubber soles whispering against the brickwork of the balcony; my poorer night vision didn’t do proper justice to the ripped form of my partner.  No longer the lanky body of a teenager, the feline sitting in front of me was now fully grown, body finely sculpted by the years he’d spent as a superhero.  Reaching a gloved hand to his, I smiled as he took it and raised it to his lips for a brief kiss as was his tradition.  Oddly, I was somewhat sad he no longer did that for Ladybug.</p><p>“Surprised?” I asked with a touch of merriment.</p><p>“Totally.”  In a fluid movement, Chat slipped off the planter while still holding my gloved hand, then smoothly took me into his arms.  “I can’t believe Ladybug actually <em>did</em> this,” he said, a bit of awe in his voice.  “I’ve been asking her for years to give you a second chance.”</p><p>Deciding not to disabuse him of his assumption, I put a gloved hand to his masked face.  “Merry Christmas, Chat,” I whispered as I leaned up to kiss him, impulsively deciding I might have figured out what his gift might be.</p><p>Running a claw through my hair, I thought I could hear him purring.  “This is so <em>amazing</em>.  And you look… insanely cute.”</p><p>“I’m glad you approve,” I laughed as I kissed him again.  “But I should warn you, this is temporary.”</p><p>“I figured,” he smiled, but I could see a tinge of sadness in it.  “I’ll soak up every moment I can, then,” he added.</p><p>I started when I felt his tail snaking it’s way around my waist; while it was a common way for him to express his affection, the mouse costume seemed to be making me more sensitive to his touch.  Gently, he pulled me closer – close enough that I could smell the fresh air clinging to his mane.  “I never did ask you what you wanted for Christmas,” I said as our lips brushed again.</p><p>“No,” he agreed.  “But I can’t think of anything better.  Look,” he smiled shyly, “since you’re transformed and all, there’s a special place I can now share with you.  If you’re game…?”</p><p>Intrigued, I nodded.  “Lead away.”</p><p>Quickly kissing me on the cheek one last time, Chat leapt to edge of the railing and balanced perfectly in that gravity-defying way he always did.  Holding out his paw, he smiled as he helped me up.  “It’s not far,” he said.  “Follow me.”</p><p>Leaping after my feline boyfriend, I kept a respectful distance behind him as we crossed Paris together; I had to work a bit to make it seem like I was struggling to keep up, knowing it wouldn’t do for him to discover I was perfectly at ease transformed.  He adjusted accordingly, slowing down and, at times, pausing on the occasional rooftop to help me cross a slightly wider-than-normal avenue.  At length we arrived atop the ornate dome of City Hall, perched side-by-side looking down on the square below.  Chat’s tail had protectively curled around me, and he snuck an arm around as well, overtly to hug me close to his black-cladded form, but also surreptitiously keeping me from slipping off the tile.</p><p>Below us, the massive Christmas tree the city had put up just a week earlier sparkled in the night, bedecked and bejeweled for the season.  It was breathtakingly beautiful from street level, and multiple magnitudes more from where we sat.  I felt myself sighing in appreciation as I leaned my mouse-bun into his shoulder.  “Wow.”</p><p>“I know, right?” he breathed.  “I come nightly every year after the tree goes up.  It’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen – save for the one you let me help you with.”</p><p>I leaned further into his shoulder, smiling at the memory.  Last year was our first official Christmas as a couple, and though it was odd to have a masked feline about my apartment, his acrobatic abilities had come in handy stringing the lights on my tree and hanging the decorations.  It was something I’d done routinely each year with my family, but I got the sense with Chat that his experience with the holiday had been less… homey.</p><p>“…will have to thank her,” Chat was saying.</p><p>“Who?” I asked, realizing I’d not heard him.</p><p>“Ladybug,” he smiled, looking down at me and, if possible, managing to pull me even closer to him.  My eyes widened a bit to realize I could actually feel the warmth of Chat’s body through my costume; while I wasn’t cold at all, it was an odd sensation.  “This is the best gift she could have given me.”</p><p>“Oh, I doubt that,” I replied.  “I’m sure she could have arranged for a nice batch of fresh catnip.”</p><p>His masked eyes narrowed at me.  “You know what that does to me, Princess.”</p><p>“But you are so <em>cute</em> when you’ve had too much.”</p><p>It was dark enough I couldn’t see the flush I knew was on his cheeks; Chat had been mortally embarrassed when Hawkmoth had used that particular feline tendency against him, though to his credit he’d managed to still Cataclysm the akuma for me as part of a relatively complicated Lucky Charm before passing out completely.  He’d awoken in my arms at the apartment, correctly assuming Ladybug had dropped him off with his girlfriend to sleep off the aftereffects.  “I can’t apologize enough---”</p><p>“I was happy to help,” I smiled at him as I snuck my own hand around his waist.  “Any chance to snuggle into my boyfriend is a good one indeed.”</p><p>I felt the rumble of his chuckle, followed by the slight thrumming of his purr as it returned.  “Boyfriend,” he sighed.  “I never thought I’d be that lucky.”  He paused before adding, very quietly: “And lucky enough that it would be you.”</p><p>“Why?” I asked, looking up at his glowing eyes.  “Why would you <em>ever</em> think that?”</p><p>He shifted slightly, and I felt the muscles in his side ripple with the effort.  “It took me a long time to understand about love,” he said softly as he carefully pressed his masked face into my hair for a gentle kiss.  “And what it meant to truly <em>be</em> loved.”  He sighed again.  “At the risk of revealing too much about my alter ego, suffice it to say there wasn’t much of that around when I was a kitten.  It might have given me a bit of a preconception about life in general.”</p><p>My heart tore a little, for it wasn’t the first time Chat had hinted that his personal life as a kid had been less than perfect.  I couldn’t imagine someone mistreating such a gentle soul, nor contemplate how incredible it was that the person he had become was born from what had to have been a hellish crucible.  To be sure, it had taken years for me to wear away the devil-may-care persona Chat had initially shown the world, but once I had, the full measure of his compassionate character had shone through.  I felt him bury his nose in my hair again and smiled slightly as I felt a claw tip toy with a ribbon. </p><p>“I, for one, am glad you took a chance and landed on my balcony all those years ago,” I replied, pulling back again so I could look directly into those beguiling feline eyes.  “And for everything that followed.”</p><p>His eyes narrowed with the smile I could just make out in the darkness.  “It was a hard night, that,” he reminded me.  “Both of us suffering in our own way.”</p><p>“Yes,” I replied, reaching my free hand to cup the side of his face with my gloved hand.  “Someone far wiser than I once said that one needs to experience the bitter taste of failure in order to truly appreciate the sweet nectar of success.”  Pulling him toward me, I pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before pulling back and adding: “And I have to tell you, this tastes pretty damn sweet.”</p><p>Chat’s glowing eyes narrowed further.  “Let me confirm that,” he said.</p><p>“How—” I started before squeaking loudly as he suddenly ducked his head to my neck and began to nibble his way along the collar of my costume.  Having made the fatal mistake of ignoring his devilish look, I started to squirm away from his ministrations only to have his lips graze past a particularly sensitive part of my neck, sending a shudder through my body.</p><p>“Yes,” he whispered as his lips brushed the tip of my ear.  “I would agree with your assessment.”</p><p>“You and your enhanced feline senses,” I laughed.</p><p>“Don’t knock it,” he whispered again.   “Though I should warn you about one thing.”</p><p>“And what would that be, kitty?”</p><p>“It’s amazingly difficult ignoring some rather feral feline instincts,” he breathed, shifting again to hold me against his chest.  “I can’t tell you how hard it is not to give in to my desire to chase you across the city.  Seeing as though you’re a mouse and all.”</p><p>I chuckled and pulled his arms around me, allowing his body to cover me like a giant feline blanket.  “Your purring,” I teased, “tells me otherwise.”</p><p>“Ah,” he coughed.  “I could never hide anything from you, though I’m not sure I should admit to having a thing for rodents...”</p><p>“Your secret is safe with me,” I said, gently kissing his arm, “as long as <em>this</em> is the only rodent on your list.”</p><p>“Oh, I can assure you that is the case,” he purred, putting his strong chin on the top of my head.</p><p>We sat together in comfortable silence for some time, long enough that giant snowflakes began to lazily drift down and over us.  I was a bit surprised at how quickly the clouds had thickened, or, rather, at how I’d lost all track of time while cozily ensconced with my kitty.</p><p>“Gorgeous,” I breathed as the lights from the tree twinkled in the snow.</p><p>“Not as stunning as you, Princess,” Chat replied.</p><p>“You are biased, kitty!”</p><p>“Maybe,” he signed contentedly.  “But you should probably get home.”</p><p>“Sadly, yes,” I replied as we stood.  “Some of us have to work tomorrow.”</p><p>Chat laughed as he held my hand.  “Some of us do,” he agreed.  “May I see you home, Princess?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>I found myself somewhat melancholy as the two of us retraced our steps over the rooftops of Paris and returned all too soon to the balcony outside of my apartment.  I descended on the jump rope, gently landing on the brickwork close to the planter; Chat landed effortlessly in his crouched perch atop the railing, gripping the iron between his paws while pressing his boots to either side.  Coiling up the jump rope and tying it at my waist, I approached him with a smile. </p><p>“Thank you for an amazing evening,” I said as the snowflakes began to accumulate on both the balcony and Chat’s wild mane. </p><p>“My pawleasure,” he smiled, shaking off the dusting of snow from his hair. </p><p>“I’d offer you a bowl of warm milk…” I smiled, beginning our usual joke.</p><p>“...except you don’t have anything lactose free in your apartment,” he laughed.  “When you least expect it, I’ll surprise you and bring some with me, Princess.  <em>Then</em> try to shush me off your balcony.”</p><p>“Like I would even try,” I chuckled.</p><p>Even in the semi-darkness, I saw his expression shift.  “Look, before I go…”</p><p>I arched an eyebrow.  “Yes?”</p><p>“Do you… I mean, would you be okay with me… spending the day with you?”</p><p>I frowned before I realized what he was asking.  “Christmas?”</p><p>He nodded.  “Yeah.”</p><p>“Of course,” I smiled.  “Why wouldn’t it be?  You were here last year.  And you <em>are</em> my boyfriend.”</p><p>Chat lit up with a giant smile just the way he always did when I said that.  “I am, aren’t I?”</p><p>“Last time I checked.”  I paused, for he’d gotten that glint in his eye that I’d long recognized as trouble.  “Chat… what are you cooking up in that feline brain of yours…?”</p><p>He smiled wider.  “Well, I had a thought.”</p><p>“Uh oh.”</p><p>Sliding off the railing with the grace of a dancer, he stepped close enough that his exotic scent nearly overwhelmed my enhanced sense of smell.  Slowly, he reached a claw tip to my face and ever so gently began to trace the outline of my mask.  “It occurs to me since one of us will of necessity need to wear a mask, maybe <em>both</em> of us could,” he said quietly.  “Assuming Ladybug agrees to my request… I can’t see a more perfect Christmas present than to spend the day than playing with my favorite mouse.”</p><p>I felt my pulse quicken at both his touch and the prospect of what he was proposing, and knew that if Ladybug were in her right mind, she’d refuse him outright on general principal.  Except I was well aware my judgement was impaired when it came to matters surrounding this special kitty of mine.  “I’ll ask her myself,” I instead replied rather rashly.</p><p>“You… you will?” Chat asked, his masked green eyes going wide.</p><p>“Yes…” I answered, worried suddenly at the dawning realization on Chat’s masked visage.  “She… has to collect Mullo, of course.”</p><p>“Of course,” he nodded sadly.  “You did say this was temporary.   I guess seeing you as Multimouse got my hopes up that she’d changed her mind.”</p><p>“We both know she won’t,” I smiled.  “But I think I can sell her on one last appearance of the mouse hero.”</p><p>Chat pulled me into his black-cladded chest once more.  “In case you can’t,” he said softly, “I will cherish this evening as the special moment it was.”  Kissing me on the head one last time, he pulled back, holding one of my gloved hands in his paw for a lingering moment.  “And even if you aren’t masked as Multimouse,” he said brightly, “I will still be looking forward to spending Christmas day with you, Princess.”</p><p>“Me, too,” I replied as he let go, leapt onto the railing and then vaulted out into the gathering snowstorm.</p><p>I went to the edge of the balcony and followed his dark form as it lithely moved across the darkened cityscape for as long as I could, and then stood there a moment longer as the gentle flakes wafted down.  Smiling more to myself than anyone, I turned and slipped back into my apartment, knowing that I <em>finally</em> knew what to give my kitty for the holiday.  Thinking back on the evening made me smile even wider, for now it seemed such a simple and eminently logical choice.</p><p>Of <em>course</em> I would give my Chat a mouse…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Part of the December 2020 MLB Writer's Guild event, with the prompt: "Multimouse and Chat Noir interaction with them just being fluffy (from @bugchat)"</p></blockquote></div></div>
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